1963–1976 · Mk I and II are Super Minx · Mk III is an Arrow · that is a change of car
The Mk I and Mk II are Hillman Super Minx underneath. The Sceptre launched in 1963 as the top of that family, with twin headlights shared with the Singer Vogue, a 1592cc engine at 80bhp, and a specification that was genuinely generous for the time: servo-assisted 10in front discs with rear drums from launch, overdrive standard and self-cancelling on third and fourth, plus screen washers, a reversing lamp, a rev counter and a full set of instruments. The Mk II of 1965 brought revised front-end styling and, from September that year, the 1725cc twin-carburettor engine at 85bhp. 17,011 Mk I and IA cars were built and 11,983 Mk IIs.
The Mk III of 1967 is not a facelift. It is a different car on a different shell — the Rootes Arrow. Nothing body, glass or suspension crosses from a Mk II to a Mk III. It runs the Arrow package: MacPherson struts, a leaf-sprung live rear axle and 9.61in front discs, with the 1725 twin-carb at 87bhp, a wood-veneer fascia, full instrumentation, an adjustable steering column, a vinyl roof and extra brightwork, plus D-type or J-type Laycock overdrive. An estate followed in October 1974, and 43,951 were built in all. Two practical notes: on a Mk III the walnut veneer delaminates because the windscreen leaks — fix the seal before the wood. And a New Zealand connection worth knowing: Todd Motors adapted the Sceptre’s four-headlamp nose for its own 1973 Hillman Hunter GL.
Humber Sceptre — specification & changes within the model
- Brakes
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Mk I and Mk II: servo-assisted 10in front discs with rear drums, standard from launch in 1963. Mk III: the Arrow system, 9.61in (244mm) front discs with rear drums. Overdrive was standard on the Mk I and II from the start.
- Mk II to Mk III is a change of car
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Mk I and Mk II (1963–67) are Hillman Super Minx. Mk III (1967–76) is a Rootes Arrow. Body, glass and suspension share nothing. Order Mk I and II parts against the Super Minx and Mk III parts against the Hunter.
- The glass trap inside the Super Minx family
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The Sceptre Mk I and II kept the same roof, panoramic windscreen and shallow wrap-around finned rear window for their whole life — while the Hillman Super Minx and the Singer Vogue moved to a six-light roof in 1964. So a 1965 Super Minx and a 1965 Sceptre have different screens, even though they are the same family.
- The marks
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Mk I / IA 1963–64, 1592cc 80bhp, twin headlights, 17,011 built · Mk II 1965–67, revised front end, 1725cc twin carburettor 85bhp from September 1965, 11,983 built · Mk III 1967–76, Arrow shell, 1725 twin carb 87bhp, estate from October 1974, 43,951 built.
- Fix the screen seal before the woodwork
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On a Mk III the walnut veneer delaminates because the windscreen leaks. Same shell as the Hunter, so the other Arrow warning applies too: a failed rear screen rubber rots the boot floor.
- New Zealand
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Todd Motors took the Sceptre’s four-headlamp nose, simplified it, and used it on its own 1973 Hillman Hunter GL — a New Zealand-only model with a unique tail treatment as well. If you are looking at a four-headlamp Hunter here, that is what it is.
- Not claimed
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Earth polarity, and whether a servo was standard on any other Arrow model — power assistance only became a factory option across the Arrow range in May 1968.
